Flue cleaner



June 23, 1925.

. 1,543,018 a R; LE FEUVRE I FLUE CLEANER Filed Apfii 8,

Richard LeFkaw'e Chrome Patented June 23, 1925.

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Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RxenAnn Elm-van, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in Spokane County, and'statefof \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlue Cleaners, of which the following is'a specification,

The present invention relates to improve ments in flue cleaners especially adapted for use in scraping or cleaning sfoot from the Walls of chimneys or fines and especially de= signed'for use in connection with the cleans. ing of chimneys or fines of dwelling houses;

The primary object of the invention'is the rovision of a'grav-ity actuated device which is comparatively inexpensive in cost of ro. ct i r bl hi h my b' 'manip lated with facility andeonveni'cn'ce by unskilled labor, and which is capable of ad justment for use in various sizes of chfi nn'ey s for thoroughly cleaning or scraping accumulated soot from the walls or'lin ngs of chimneys. I I

While I have illustrated acleanerIasu'sed in connection with the customary square chimney, it will be understood that thedevice is capable of use with angular chimneys of other shapes the walls ofwhi'ch 'Inay e cleaned in 'pairs simultaneously on the gravity or downstroke of the"device,' Due to its Weight and size the device may be manipulated with facility and hauled -up manually after a downward movement in customary manner for chimney cleaning.

The invention 'consistsincertai'n novel combinations and arrangements including a laterally extensible an'dcontractile raping cage, with means for securing and retaining a stationary adjustment of'th'e scraping blades of the cage, together with ineans whereby the scraping blades may be manually controlled while the device is being operated, And the invention furtherjconsists in certain-details of construction as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed.

In th accom an ing draw I h e illustrated one complete exainple 'of the physi al. e b d m'enfiq my in ntion wh r in the parts are combined and arranged aec rd ng th b sfi'm d I he s tfi a devised for thepractical application of the Princ pl s of my n nt on."

Figure 1 is a perspective view 'of the mn y dea s? embedyiag m invention.

Figure2 is a sectional view at the top of chi imey she-aging cleaner therein and in ope atwe gelation thereto. 7.

Figure 3 i aview inside .elevationoiilthei cleaner. in openativepmitiw, and in dotted linee showing". the cage.-contracted V For oonyenience of illustration I have shown a a chimneyv C having a flue lining L yithin its was from which the soot is cleened by the device, oi-my in-.v vention, said device .being actuated .hy gravity for a downward or wanking move, ment -through. the chiinney. By contact with the walls, in pairs,offthe chimney or with opposite faces of the lining, the soot is. serapped of and permitted to fall to the bottom of the flue or chimney from whence it may be removed, and after'lthe downward or workingmovement thedevice ishauled up again to the topot thefchiinney, and these jniovelnents repeated as required;

The yvflntion involves the utilization of a laterally extensible and contractileflcage medefup "of Inetal pieces and. preferably of rectangular shape.-

the toe. of the cage an uppen cross'head 1 provided and a complementary bottom cross head 2 is conneictedtherewithf Between these crossheads intermediate cross 3 and 4 are utilized, the cross heads and cross bars vbeing parallel and the cross heads and cross bars respectively being adjustable toward. and away from each other. At their loweredgeszthe crossjha'gs are fashioned with cutt'ing' or rapi g. b ades 5 which are designed to scrape the Wallsor flue lining a sYthe'fcagka is permitted 'to move downwardly to remove soot or, other accumulation therefrom, I

The cross heads and crossfbars are connected by a toggle arrangement, and the ends of the heads and bars are bent or flanged as' 'at' 6 for piyotal connection with theftegglemernbers'.

e ee mem r s e -fle W pairs o ppmass and two pairs of lower inns as 9, the i'espectiye pairs of links each having a pivetel connectifon at '10 to across head end the diverging ends 'of the links vof all thepairs' being pivoted' to the interme diatelsciaper It willthus be apparent that the "cage may be extended and contractedwbeth laterally and in vertical directhan. The scraper bars however inaddition to theif' pivotal ,fsupports 10 are provided iimeai p n u wh hcr g u w th m to th se m n e el -the We P r of upper-"links 'oi'th'e' toggle connection, in

order that the scraper bars may present a rigid structure for contact with the flue lining or chimney wall, and remove the soot therefrom.

Between the upper and lower cross heads of the cage a diagonally extending, central draw bar 12 is located, which bar is rigidly secured to the lower cross head with a hooked end 13 therebelow, and passes through a hole 14; in the upper cross head of the cage. Above the upper cross head an eye 15 is fashioned on the draw bar.

For laterallyexpanding the scraper cage a draw rope 16 is secured to the eye 15 of the draw bar, and it will be apparent that by pulling on the rope the bar may be drawn upwardly through the hole 14 bringing the lower cross-head nearer to the upper cross lit) head. This action causes the diverging ends of the toggle links to swing outwardly carrying with them the intermediate scraper bars, 3 and 4E, and the scraper bars are thus manually controlled. 1

The scraper cage is. normally held expanded laterally by tension of the spring 17, which at its lower end is anchored by a hook 18 'to the lower cross head, and has connected to' its upper end a take-up chain 19, which inturn is provided with a spring hook 20- which may be'snapped in the eye 21 of the upper cross head. The length of the chain between its hook 20 and the spring may be varied to vary the tension of the spring and to vary the relative adjustment of the upper and lower cross heads. By means of the spring and its connection the lateral-expansion of the cage may be adjusted and a resiliently applied outward pressure on the scraper blades is assured to hold them in operative contact with the surfaces to be scraped.

To 'enhancethe action of gravity on the cage a suitable weight 22 is suspended by its eye-bolt '23 and the yoke 24 on the lower cross head from the cage, said weight supplying an'adequate load to insure a posi tive action of the scraper bars on the surfaces scraped as the cage moves clownwardly.

The cage is suspended and, supported and hauled up from the bottom of the chimney by manual power applied to the rope 25, at one end of which a chain 26 is secured, and the chain is connected to theyoke 27 fixed to the upper cross head. By means of a snap hook 28 on'the eye 15 at the upper end of the draw rod, the cage may be set to a predetermined, limited lateral expansion;

Thus, as will be apparent, the weight by its suspended load, tends to separate the two cross heads, when the upper one ofthe two is supported or suspended from the rope 25, but by catching the snap hook 28 in a selected linkof the chain 26, the load is suspended from t e'r p .2 th ugh its chain. 26 hook 28, draw bar 12 and the lower cross head 2, and the cage is thus prevented from contracting laterally.

If this limited or positive adjustment is not required the snap hook is disconnected, as inv Figure 1, and the operator of the device, by grasping the main rope in one hand and the draw rope 16 in the other hand, the device may be lowered down through the chimney with the two scraper bars engaging opposite walls of the chimney. The draw rope 16 .may be manipulated, or held stationary, as required .to maintain the proper scraping contact of the scraper bars with the chimney walls. After the cage has been lowered, it is hauled up by manipulation of rope 25 to the chimney top, and'the cage may again be lowered if necessary to scrape over the same surfaces, until these walls are cleaned. When used in a rectangular chimney, the cage is then turned at right angles in order that the scrapers may operate on the second pair of chimney walls for cleaning or scraping them, and the performance is repeated until satis-' factory results have been attained.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is V 1. The combinationin a chimney cleaner with a pair of spaced cross heads and a lift rope attached to one of them, of a pair of intermediate scraper bars, pairs oftoggle links pivotally connected to said headsand I having a pivotal connection with 7 said scraper bars, a -weight. suspended from the lower cross head, and means for transferring the load of the weight from said device to said lift-rope. 1

2. The combinationwith a laterally extensible cage including a lower cross head, an upper crosshead, and a pair of scraper bars, .of a suspended weight connected to the lower cross head, a drawbar fixed .to the lower cross head and passed through an opening in the upper cross 'head, a flexible connection to said uppercrosshead for suspending the cage, and means for engaging said draw bar at selective points with said flexible connection.

3. The combination'with upper and lower cross heads, intermediate scraper bars, and toggle links connecting said heads and bars, of a weight suspended from the lower cross head and a lift rope having a chain connec tion to the upper cross head, a draw rod having one end fixed to the lower cross head and passed through an opening in the upper cross head, a spring anchored at one end to the lower cross head, and achain connected to vsaid spring for selective engagement with the upper cross headl i c In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RICHARD FE VB l 

